Introduction: Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is a common cause of lateral knee pain among long distance runners. Typically, the pain is induced by an activity which involves repetitive motion of the lower limb, such as encountered in running or cycling. Patients often notice the onset of lateral knee pain late in or after completing an activity. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma work is to determine the optimal conservative treatment for ITBS in long distances runners based on the literature review. Methods: We used a descriptive method with a literature review. The articles were obtained from the online database PubMed. The search duration was from February 2019 to February 2020. All the literature was searched in English language using the key worlds: »iliotibial band syndrome« AND »therapy« AND »treatment«. Results: Six studies were included in the literature review. The following therapies were used in these studies: rest, cryotherapy, ultrasonography, stretching of iliotibial band, manual therapy (massage, deep transverse frictional massage, ischemic compression of trigger points), drug therapy (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/analgesic, corticosteroid/anesthetic), strengthening exercises (hip abductors, pelvic stabilization), radial extracorporeal shockwave therapy and running re-training (running kinematics, increase step rate). Discussion and conclusion: Based on the results from the literature review, we can conclude that all of the used therapies were successful in reducing the pain. However, the results of our review cannot give us the answer as to which of the used therapies was more effective, because all of the therapies were used in combination and not individually. All the used therapies were different form each other, so we cannot compare them. From the given results we cannot determine which of the therapies is most suitable, so the best option for the treatment of ITBS would seem to be the combination of different therapies.
|
